It's about time
Cups branded with the logo of world's largest coffee chain no doubt occupy more than their fair share of space in the world's landfills. For years Starbucks has pledged initiatives to ramp up its recycling efforts, and now it's testing out cups more conducive to recycling.
Beginning today, Starbucks is serving drinks in fully recyclable cups at stores in the UK, the Guardian reports. While traditional disposable paper coffee cups are laminated in plastic that makes them tough to recycle, the recyclable cups — called Frugalpac — have "a thin film liner designed to separate easily from the paper in the recycling process."
Earlier this year it was revealed that only 1 in 400 paper cups from coffee chains in the UK are actually recycled, leading to discussions of a possible ban or tax on disposable coffee cups (though both ideas were ultimately rejected). A campaign led by British chef and environmental activist Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall led to the creation of an industry group called the Paper Cup Recycling and Recovery Group; dozens of chains including Starbucks and McDonald's have signed "a pledge to significantly increase paper cup recycling rates by 2020."
According to the company's website, "Starbucks beverages account for approximately 4 billion cups globally each year." Eater has reached out to Starbucks for comment on if these new recyclable cups will soon be used stateside.
• Starbucks Trials Recyclable Cups in Move to Tackle Landfill Waste [The Guardian]
• Why Are So Few Coffee Cups Recycled? [E]
• All Starbucks Coverage [E]
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